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Sam Gagner
Sam Gagner in 2012
Born	(1989-08-10) August 10, 1989 (age 35) London, ON, CAN
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	199 lb (90 kg; 14 st 3 lb)
Position	Centre
Shoots	Right
NHL team	Edmonton Oilers
National team	Canada
NHL draft	6th overall, 2007 Edmonton Oilers
Playing career	2007–present

Sam Gagner (born August 10, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing with the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Oilers in the first round (6th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Minor and junior

Gagner played midget hockey with the Toronto Marlboros of the Greater Toronto Hockey League in 2004–05. He scored 173 points and was awarded the Buck Houle Award – a Marlboros team award given for outstanding on ice performance and leadership. The same season, he made his junior debut, playing 13 games for the Milton Icehawks of the OPJHL, scoring 15 points. In 2005–06, he joined the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League and scored 46 points in 56 games, second in team scoring.

Gagner originally committed to play hockey at the collegiate level for the University of Wisconsin–Madison, but later decided to play closer to home and play major junior hockey in Canada. Considered a first round talent, the London Knights took him in the fourth round of the 2006 OHL entry draft on a flyer, as his commitment to play college hockey deterred many OHL teams from drafting him. Joined by future NHL stars Patrick Kane and Sergei Kostitsyn on the Knights' top line in 2006–07, Gagner scored 118 points in 53 games, fifth in league scoring. He also captained Team Burns/Bergeron (Red) in the 2007 CHL Top Prospects Game to a 5–3 victory over Team Bowman/Demers (White).

Edmonton Oilers

Gagner was drafted in the first round, sixth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. On October 1, 2007, he was signed to a 3-year, entry level contract with the Oilers. He played his first NHL game on October 4 in a 3–2 shootout victory over the San Jose Sharks and earned his first NHL point, assisting on a goal scored by Tom Gilbert. On October 20, Gagner scored his first career NHL goal against Miikka Kiprusoff of the Calgary Flames.

As the league's youngest player in 2007–08, he tallied 49 points in 79 games playing between wingers and fellow rookies Andrew Cogliano and Robert Nilsson on a combination dubbed the "Kid Line". During the season, Gagner participated in the 2008 NHL YoungStars Game in Atlanta as part of All-Star weekend and was also named the NHL Rookie of the Month for February. As part of a month-long scoring stretch in which he scored 13 points in 12 games, he also established an Oilers team record for the longest assists streak by a rookie with nine assists in eight straight games.

The next season, he recorded his first career NHL hat trick and added an assist for a four-point game in an 8–1 win against the Colorado Avalanche on March 19, 2009. He finished the 2008–09 season with 16 goals and 41 points in 76 games. The following two campaigns, he posted 41- and 42-point efforts.

On March 9, 2011, Gagner severed a tendon in his left hand while facing the Washington Capitals when teammate Ryan Jones caught him with a skate blade while jumping over the boards. Requiring surgery, Gagner was sidelined for the remainder of the 2010–11 season, as well as one month into the following campaign. Gagner made his return to the Oilers lineup on October 22, 2011. Several months later, on February 2, 2012, Gagner scored four goals and four assists against the Chicago Blackhawks, tying the team record of eight points, previously set by Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey. The feat also made him the thirteenth NHL player of all time to score 8 or more points in a single game, and the first since Mario Lemieux did it on the last day of 1988. Two days later, Gagner scored two goals and added an assist in the first period against the Detroit Red Wings, setting a new Oilers record with 11 consecutive points, previously held by Gretzky who scored 10 consecutive points twice. Gagner finished the season with 47 points over 75 games with nearly a quarter of his output having occurred in that two-game stretch.

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Gagner signed with Klagenfuter AC of the Eishockey Liga in Austria.

On July 22, 2013, the Oilers signed Gagner to a three year deal worth 4.8 million dollars a year.

International play


Medal record
Gagner with Team Canada at the 2007 Super Series
Representing Canada
Ice hockey
World Championship
	2008 Canada
World Junior Championship
	2007 Sweden

Gagner competed for Team Canada at the 2007 World Junior Championships in Sweden. He played in all six games as the youngest player on the team, helping Canada to their third of five straight gold medals.

Later that year, upon being drafted in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Gagner competed in the 2007 Super Series, an eight-game series between Canada's and Russia's national junior teams commemorating the 1972 Summit Series. He scored 15 points and was named series MVP, as Canada defeated Russia 7-0-1 in the series.

After Gagner's 2007–08 rookie season with the Edmonton Oilers, he made his senior international debut with Team Canada in the 2008 World Championships in Canada as a reserve. Gagner played in one preliminary game as Canada was defeated in the gold medal game by Russia.

Off the ice

In his rookie year, Gagner lived in a house provided by Oilers captain Ethan Moreau, along with teammates Andrew Cogliano and Tom Gilbert. In the summer of 2009, Gilbert bought his own house while Gagner and Cogliano got apartments in Edmonton in the same complex. During the off-season, Gagner goes back to his hometown of London, Ontario.

Gagner is the son of former NHL player Dave Gagner, who spent 15 seasons with New York, Minnesota, Dallas, Calgary, Toronto, Florida, and Vancouver. Due to his dad's career, he grew up in Minneapolis, Dallas, Toronto, Calgary, Miami, and Oakville, Ontario. His sister, Jessica Gagner, plays hockey for the Dartmouth Big Green women's ice hockey program.

Awards and achievements

Buck Houle Award (Toronto Marlboros team award; outstanding on ice performance) - 2004
World Junior Gold Medal - 2007
World Championships Silver Medal - 2008
Super Series MVP - 2007
NHL YoungStars Game appearance - 2008
NHL Rookie of the Month - February 2008
Edmonton Oilers Rookie of the Year - 2008 (shared with Andrew Cogliano and Tom Gilbert)
Edmonton Oilers Most Points in a Single Game - 8 (shared with Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey)
Edmonton Oilers Most Points in a Single Period - 5 (shared with Jari Kurri)
Edmonton Oilers Most Consecutive Points - 11
Winner of the 2012 Spengler Cup with Team Canada

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2004–05	Toronto Marlboros	GTHL	89	63	110	173	56	—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Milton Icehawks	OPJHL	13	5	10	15	10	—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Sioux City Musketeers	USHL	56	11	35	46	60	—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	London Knights	OHL	53	35	83	118	36	16	7	22	29	22
2007–08	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	79	13	36	49	23	—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	76	16	25	41	51	—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	68	15	26	41	33	—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	68	15	27	42	37	—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	75	18	29	47	36	—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	EC KAC	EBEL	21	10	10	20	8	—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	48	14	24	38	23	—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals			414	91	167	258	203	—	—	—	—	—